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Gearing Up for the iPad

Only a short time ago, if you typed “iPad accessories” into the Google search engine, you’d be asked, “Did you mean iPod accessories?”

No longer is that the case.

The keyboard dock ($69)

That may be because of the slew of companies preparing for the arrival of Apple’s tablet PC on April 3 with a rash of iPad accessories.

Established third-party “after-market” makers like Griffin and Belkin are already offering iPad sleeves, cases, screen protectors and the like. Others are likely to take advantage of all the things an iPad lacks like a camera, webcam, keyboard, memory-card slot, video game controls, a cable to link to an HDTV’s HDMI outlet. It’s estimated that each iPad buyer will spend up to $80 on accessories. With iPad sales expected to be in the millions in the first year, the accessory market could be huge.

One surprise entrant here is Philips, the Dutch electronics maker, which has just put up a Web page devoted to iPad goodies. “We know how excited you are about the iPad because we at Philips are right there with you,” says the page. “IPad is going to take entertainment media to a whole new level.”

The iPad case ($39)

The Philips products don’t add much new to the accessory category, with headphones, neoprene and leatherette sleeves and cases and a portable speaker that plugs into the headphone jack. There is no pricing on the products yet. Belkin’s accessories also feature a $40 Vue sleeve with a transparent expandable pocket and a basic $30 Grip sleeve in black or “Perfect Plum.”

Apple will have five branded add-ons available. There’s an “official” case ($39) and an extra U.S.B. power adapter. The most useful offering from Apple for my money is the $69 keyboard dock, which is integrated with a full-size keyboard for those without the patience, or calloused fingertips, to work long-term on a touch screen keyboard. The dock charges the iPad, of course, plugs into an AC outlet and sends audio to external speakers.

Because there is no flash-memory card reader on the iPad, Apple will sell a camera connection kit ($29) that accepts an SD card from a camera to download photos, as well as a dongle to plug in a U.S.B. cable directly from the camera. An iPad dock without a keyboard is $29.

Gadgetwise will keep an eye on new, unique accessories for the iPad.

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Gadgetwise is a blog about everything related to buying and using tech products. From figuring out which gadget to buy and how to get the best deal on it to configuring it once it’s out of the box, Gadgetwise offers a mix of information, analysis and opinion to help you get the most out of your personal tech.